Male runners - what dictates if you run shirtless?

If it is above about 45 and not raining I run shirtless. The exception is trails. The less skin the less chance of ticks and Lyme disease

I used to once in awhile but rather would have a shirt on. I think I started because when I was in college a girl said my upper body looked like Pre.

Most people don't realize the male nipple contains the most sweat glands as any other part of the body. That is their one and only physiological purpose, to cool you off.

Let your nipples feel breeze baby!!!!

When I feel warm and want to take my shirt off, I take it off. It's not a checklist of parameters.

Exactly! How many dudes do you see walking around Saudi Arabia shirtless? Or running badwater shirtless? Zero.

Hot & humid weather. When it gets cold, you won't see any parts of my skin except for my face.

Above 70° with full sun on the track.

Whenever the temp is over 65 degrees. Basically late March through November where I live. I run on a bike trail along the bay.

I'm curious exactly how you "learn to sweat properly"?

I used to run shirtless whenever it was hot and didn't think it was unusual. I live in a beach town so shirtless runners are not uncommon. It feels best to run with as little on as possible. In the '70s & '80s everyone here wore short shorts and socks. These days I have to admit it looks silly, but fashions change. Look at the shorts the NBA players wore in the '60s & '70s. That was the norm. Baggy shorts would have looked as ridiculous then as short shorts do today.

If you are over age 25, you should always run with a shirt. No one wants to see your flab and loose skin flopping all over.

Under 25, above 80 degree F, and regularly hit the weights, then use best discretion.

Basically, Letsrunners need to cover up.

For me the deciding factor is the humidity. If the humidity is low enough that my sweat actually has a chance to evaporate I'll wear a singlet or shirt. If the humidity is high and the sweat is just going to soak into my shirt, weigh it down, make it stick to my body and do nothing to cool me off I'll go shirtless. I live on the South Carolina coast and I usually run without a shirt from mid-June until mid-September. I'm in my mid 40s and I've been told I'm in pretty decent shape but I have no doubt some people have a problem with how comfortable I am with being scantily clad. At the end of the day though I simply don't give a damn what anyone else thinks about it. I would put up with any amount of feeling silly in exchange for never feeling that horrible feeling of claustrophobia that I get from a skin tight heavy shirt just hanging on me making me feel like I can't breathe while the air is already so thick with humidity it is like trying to breath underwater.

Yeah, I’m 45 and run without a shirt pretty much all the time.

I have always sweat a ton and it just weighs down my shirt and makes it uncomfortable.

Exactly, I have an app to set my sweat rate to 0.67 liters/hour averaged over every 5-minute interval, which is perfect for my flimsy polyester shirt licking it off.

I live in New England, mid-40s, and run without a shirt pretty much every day above 70. I figure that makes up for having to spend 5 months every year in full cold weather gear. Nobody cares, even out on the very rural back roads. I get the very occasional comment from a teenager (what runner doesn't), but other than that, nobody looks at me twice. I couldn't care less what anyone thinks.

What dictates shirtless? Me. 57, very fit, no excess baggage. No shirt, split shorts if above 70 degrees. I'm most comfortable that way and will run anywhere. Ran a January 1st 5k shirtless in Central Ohio because I could and I don't caraway you think!

Not a really useful reply, I just wanted to highlight this piece of poetry.

I used to, but no longer. Basis: age, mass, social disapproval of body hair because of all the shaven little freaks running around. Call me Tom Selleck.

That's a completely wrong assumption. Just about everyone in Alaska runs shirtless in the summer mountain races. Find me a state that has a higher percentage shirtless runners in races - you can't. The high latitude means sun protection isn't really needed in the summer.

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